


Fate Will Play Us Out

by Half



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Paranormal AU, here's some spooky for halloween, i suppose i could also consider this a headless horseman au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-07 15:03:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16410731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Half/pseuds/Half
Summary: The rider lifts their free hand, holding one finger in front of where a mouth would be.The message is as clear as words.Hush.But Waverly Earp is many things, and willing victim is not one of them.





	1. Chapter 1

**SIX YEARS AGO**

 

Waverly Earp is not drunk.

She _knows_ she’s not.

But she also knows that she just saw a horse appear in a burst of fire and fog in the middle of an alley in Calgary.

Her vision is blurred, but she can see the horse’s rider swing a blade and cleave straight through the neck of a man frozen in fear amongst the crowd of partiers.

She can hear nothing but _screams_.

The crowd shoves past her in a panic, blood already starting to pool around their feet. She’s knocked down, her ankle broken in the stampede, left to fend for herself with the body and the killer.

Through her haze, she can see the rider. Dark clothes and brown leather. A dark hood.

A bloody curved sword tight in their grip.

They get off their horse, stepping over to their victim, and tap the blade against the dead man’s chest. The sword seems to glow in the darkness, and Waverly whimpers, trying to crawl away.

The rider freezes with the noise.

And turns to her.

“No,” Waverly whispers. “Please. No.”

The rider approaches her with slow, purposeful footsteps, head tilting to the side with what could almost be considered curiosity.

When they reach her, they lift their blade and set the tip right above Waverly’s heart, close enough that she can see a single word engraved in the steel: _Πραξιδίκη_

Her breathing ragged, Waverly looks up, looks under the hood above her.

And sees nothing.

Nothing but shadows, and two flames in place of eyes.

The rider lifts their free hand, holding one finger in front of where a mouth would be.

The message is as clear as words.

_Hush._

But Waverly Earp is many things, and _willing victim_ is not one of them.

She _screams_.

The rider hardly reacts, lifting their sword and sliding it into its sheath. Their horse, idling by the decapitated corpse, takes off at a gallop towards them. It passes next to them, the rider grabbing the saddle and jumping up as it continues.

By the time Waverly turns her head to see where they are, there’s nothing left but fog.

 

+++++

 

**PRESENT DAY**

 

Officer Waverly Earp, Purgatory Sheriff’s Department, curses as she jumps the last four stairs in the house she shares with her sister.

“Wynonna, did you drink all the coffee?” she yells, scrambling around the kitchen for a mug.

Wynonna Earp makes a half-hearted noise from the living room couch. “D’n’t make an’.”

“Oh, come on, it was _your turn_.” Waverly throws two pieces of sourdough bread into the toaster and leans against the back of the couch as she pulls on her boots. “Just because you don’t feel like going back to work doesn’t mean I should be punished for it.”

“Too early for lectures,” Wynonna mumbles, burying her face in her pillow.

Waverly finishes her laces at the exact moment the toast pops, and she hurries over, scooping some almond butter onto each piece and hastily wrapping the sandwich in a napkin. She grabs a bottle of water, then her jacket, and pauses at the door.

“If you don’t want the lecture and don’t want to go back to work, the least you could do is remember that you need to take Gus’s truck to the mechanic today.”

Wynonna snorts and doesn’t look up. “You don’t want to go? I’m sure your _girlfriend_ is working.”

Waverly flushes pink. “She’s not my… Shut up, Wynonna.”

She slams the door on the sound of Wynonna’s half-awake laughter.

 

+++++

 

_“Earp!”_

Waverly almost drops her coffee mug at the sound of Sheriff Randy Nedley’s voice. She backtracks to his office, wincing. “Sir, I’m sorry, I know I’m late-”

“That’s not what this is about, Earp.” He glances at his watch. “Though, now that you mention it-”

“What’s up?” Waverly interrupts quickly.

Nedley snorts. “I was wondering if your sister was ever planning on joining us again.”

Waverly bites her lip and doesn’t answer.

“S’what I figured.” He sighs and leans back in his chair, taking a sip of his coffee. “She drinking again?”

“I’m… Yes, sir.”

“Stupid.” Nedley runs his hands over his face. “It was stupid to send her after that thing. Stupid to think we can even fight it.”

“Sir, _no_.” Waverly puts her mug down, leaning on the Sheriff’s desk. “You _cannot_ give up on this. We _have_ to find the Headless Rider. If we don’t, more people are going to get killed.”

“More people are _already_ getting killed, kid. You know what happened the year we did nothing? Seven deaths. Precisely seven. Not even one single other person got a _paper cut_. You know what’s happened the years we’ve tried to fight it? I’ve lost four cops, including your father and uncle, and thirty-six other people have gotten injured. Including-”

“My sister,” Waverly mumbles.

“Exactly.” Nedley gets up from his desk and rests his hands on his belt. “Look, kid, I’m not saying that we just let it go. I’m just saying that maybe we don’t go looking for ways to get ourselves killed yet another year.” His voice softens. “We’re running out of good people, Earp. Good officers. I have no interest in letting this _thing_ kill more innocent people, but I can’t protect this town when there’s no one left to do the protecting.”

“Just me, then.”

“Earp…”

“Please,” Waverly insists. “You just talked about what this thing has done to my family. Let me at least _try_. If nothing comes from it this year, I’ll let it go, I swear.”

Nedley studies her for a moment, drumming his fingers against his desk. “You’ll still have to patrol. I can’t risk not answering an urgent call because you’re off hunting ghosts.”

“I’m completely okay with that.”

After another moment, he nods.

“Then it’s all yours, kid.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly walks through the front door, ignoring her sister passed out on the couch. She creeps up the stairs, careful not to wake her, and locks her bedroom door behind her.

She opens her closet door, staring at the evidence board hidden inside.

Drawings.

Reference photos.

Witness statements.

Victims.

Research on a word she once saw long ago, engraved on the sword of a killer.

“I’ll find you,” Waverly whispers. “I’ll find you, and I’ll stop you. Even if it’s the last thing I do.”


	2. Chapter 2

“ _Ow_ , son of a _bitch_!”

Nicole Haught slides out from underneath a Toyota Prius, blood dripping from her hand. She grabs a cloth from her tool tray and applies it as pressure, mumbling more curses under her breath.

“Oh, Nic, are you okay?”

Nicole turns, and she sees Waverly Earp, in uniform, standing just inside the door of her shop. “Wav- _shit_!”

The creeper below her tips with the shift in her weight and dumps her onto the concrete floor before sliding off in a different direction.

Waverly hurries over and crouches down next to Nicole, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Jesus, Nic, are you alright?”

“Physically, yes, but my dignity? Come back in a few years,” Nicole says into the floor.

“Nerd.” Waverly turns her over, laughing. She picks up Nicole’s bleeding hand and takes a look at the gash. “You might need stitches. We should get this looked at.”

“What, you can’t kiss it and make it better?”

The embarrassment eases- slightly -as Nicole watches Waverly’s ears go pink.

“I think probably not,” Waverly mumbles.

“Shame.” Nicole stands, letting Waverly take some of her weight. “It’s what I get for letting a Prius into my shop, anyway. Who drives one of these around _here_? The whole underbelly is already full of dust and dirt, and hell knows what’ll happen to the poor monster when snow season hits.”

“Isn’t this Chrissy Nedley’s car?”

Nicole makes a face. “Yep. I also have no idea how the Sheriff got talked into letting her drive this hunk of junk.”

Waverly shrugs. “She could make him do anything.”

“Hm.” Nicole uses her good hand to pick up a bottle of orange soda from the top of her tool cabinet and takes a sip. “I think I know what he feels like.”

“Uhm,” Waverly squeaks. She clears her throat and blushes again. “I should… I’m here to pick up my aunt’s truck…”

“Of course.” Nicole grins. “Finished it an hour ago. Just needed some oil, tire rotation, new windshield wipers. Nothing serious.”

“How much do I owe you?”

Nicole waves her off. “Don’t worry about it, Waves. It’s not a big deal.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Waverly smiles slightly. “Can I at least drive you to Doc to get that hand looked at?”

Nicole glances down at her hand and chuckles. “Yeah, Waverly. That’s fine with me.”

 

+++++

 

“Can I ask you something, Nic?”

“Always. What’s up?”

“You’ve been here for… five years now?”

“Yeah. Lived here until ’96, then moved around a lot, then moved back in 2013. Why?”

Waverly drums her fingers on the steering wheel of the truck. “I was wondering… if you had any thoughts on the Headless Rider Killings.”

Nicole is silent for a long moment. “That Halloween thing?” She gives a soft laugh. “You believe the superstitions? Some ghost beheads people on Halloween and the six days before it?”

“I don’t think it’s a ghost. I don’t believe in the paranormal at all. But I _do_ believe that there’s a serial killer who has hit Purgatory the past few years like clockwork, and I’d like an outside perspective on it.”

“I mean, I don’t know much about it. I know people are scared.” Nicole gives Waverly a sideways glance. “Are you scared?”

“No.” Her grip tightens on the wheel. “I’m _angry_.”

“Why?”

“I’ve never told you this before,” Waverly says softly, “but this Rider… he killed my father. And my uncle. And he’s the one who hurt Wynonna last year.”

Nicole’s hands tighten into fists. “Oh, Jesus, Waverly.”

“I’m not afraid of the darkness in this town, Nicole. It’s October twelfth. Two days ago, the Sheriff gave me permission to work this case. And I _will_ solve it in time.”

Waverly stops in front of the doctor’s office, and Nicole gets out of the truck. She leans on the open door and meets Waverly’s gaze evenly. “If anyone can do it, Waverly Earp, you can. I have faith in that.”

She gives a small wink that makes Waverly blush again before shutting the door and heading inside.

 

+++++

 

Waverly strolls into Shorty’s Bar and grins when she sees her aunt behind the counter. Gus McCready makes eye contact with her and nods, finishing an order for two men on barstools before meeting Waverly on the opposite end.

“Hey, girl. How’s my truck?”

Waverly hands the keys over. “Good as new. Oil, rotation, and wiper blades. And Nicole refused to charge you.”

Gus makes a soft _tsk_ noise. “I’ll have to have her over and feed her. Girl’ll get paid whether she likes it or not.” She puts a hand on her hip. “Of course, _you_ could have her over for dinner instead.”

“What? Why? It wasn’t my truck.”

Gus rolls her eyes. “Waverly Earp, you’re a police officer. You are _not_ this dumb.”

“Feels like it when I’m around her,” Waverly grumbles.

Gus just gives her a look.

“Okay, okay, we’ll have dinner.” Waverly checks her watch. “My lunch is over now, so I’ll be starving tonight anyway.”

“Make better choices than your sister makes.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole steps out of the doctor’s office, fresh bandage on her hand, and pulls her phone out of her pocket when she feels it vibrate.

**Waves:** Dinner tonight?

She smiles and replies.

**N:** Sure! Time?

**Waves:** 7?

**N:** Perfect.

**Waves:** See you then!  <3

Nicole stares down at the heart on the screen, perplexed.

“What are you up to, Waverly Earp?”

 

+++++

 

Waverly flings her phone across the bullpen in a panic. “Oh, _god no, why did I do that_.”

 

+++++

 

Waverly bursts into the house at the end of her shift. “Wynonna? Wynonna!”

Wynonna shuffles out of the kitchen, squinting at her over a cup of coffee. “What?”

“I need you to go somewhere. Anywhere. For the night.”

“Yeah?” Wynonna raises an eyebrow. “You having company, baby girl?”

“…Maybe.” Waverly flushes pink. “It’s nothing special. I’m just having someone over for dinner.”

“Someone, huh? Some _mechanic,_ you mean?”

Waverly pushes Wynonna towards her bedroom. “Can you just pack up a night bag and go away? Please? _Please?_ I’m _begging_ you.”

“Fine, fine, but you owe me if I have to stay with Doc. He snores.”

“You stayed with him just last week, Wynonna.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like we were sleepi-”

Waverly shoves Wynonna again. “Alright! Okay! That’s enough!”

Wynonna smirks as she leans in the doorway. “But, Waverly, if you can’t even _talk_ about sex, how are you supposed to have it with _Nicol- mmph_!”

Waverly puts a hand over Wynonna’s mouth. “Wynonna,” she says, voice low and dangerous. If you do not pack a bag. Now. I am going to spend my night dumping every bottle of whiskey in this house down the sink.”

Wynonna’s eyes widen. “Wouldn’t,” she says, muffled under Waverly’s hand.

_“Even your secret stash under the floorboards.”_

Wynonna flees into her room and yanks open her dresser, tossing clothes haphazardly into a duffel bag. “Byebabygirlhaveanicedateseeyoutomorrowbye.” She practically sprints out the door, and Waverly snorts out a laugh as she hears her truck start up and speed away.

 

+++++

 

**ONE YEAR AGO**

 

Blood.

It’s all Wynonna can see, on her fingers, on the ground, on her stomach when she lifts her head high enough to see her wound.

Her knee is twisted. Maybe shattered.

All she knows is the _pain_.

She keeps one hand pressed on the gash in her abdomen and pulls her gun out of its holster, raising it weakly and scanning the area.

As much as she can see in the fog.

There’s screaming. Gunfire. She swears she hears Curtis yelling out orders, but she can’t tell what direction his voice is coming from.

Jonas comes into view, his eyes wide, and she curses herself for getting distracted by him while they were supposed to be on stakeout.

Hell of a cop she’s turned out to be.

She tries to push herself up onto her elbows, tries to call out to him, but before she can, she sees… _them_.

She sees the rider.

There’s no time to scream. No time for warning.

Just the sound of hoofbeats, the slash of a blade, a splatter of blood.

And Jonas’s head hitting the ground moments before his corpse.


	3. Chapter 3

Nicole lingers on the front porch, lightly brushing her thumb across her bandage. “Okay,” she whispers. She raises her uninjured hand and knocks.

 

+++++

 

Waverly opens her front door and grins, trying to keep her anxiety off her face. “Nicole! Hi. You came.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, Waves, of course I did. I would’ve called sooner than now if I’d had to cancel on you.” Nicole steps inside and shoves her hands into her pockets. “I would’ve brought beer like I usually do, but I ran a bit late catching up at work, and I couldn’t get to the store.”

“Don’t worry about it. I have wine, and I know where Wynonna keeps the whiskey.” Waverly winks, smirking as she leads the way to the kitchen. “I know she’d never tell me, but I have my ways.”

“She’s not here?”

“No…” Waverly pauses with her hand on the fridge door. “Is that… a problem?”

“No. I just figured that’s what I was being invited to.” Nicole shrugs. “l’m perfectly fine with a solo dinner night with you.”

“Good. I made asparagus and mushroom tacos, and there’s some chicken as well if you’d like some.”

Nicole laughs and gets plates out of the cabinet. “You don’t have to cook meat just because I’m coming for dinner, Waves.”

“I know, but you had a long day. It’s not a big deal. Drink? I’m having some wine.”

“Sure.”

Waverly takes the plates from her and grins. “Sit down, Nic. You’re the guest. I’ll get whatever you need.”

 

+++++

 

“How’s your hand?” Waverly asks, passing the bowl of guacamole over to Nicole.

“Hm? Oh. It’s fine. I didn’t need any stiches, just a good bandage. Looked worse than it actually was.”

“Good. I was worried about you.” Waverly takes a sip of her wine before saying, “I’m, uh, I’m sorry about that heart I texted you. I wasn’t really thinking about who I was messaging, and I didn’t realize it until after I had sent it.”

Nicole raises an eyebrow. “Who did you think you sent it to, then?” She groans. “Christ, Waverly, tell me you aren’t going out with _Champ_ again. The guy’s a jackass.”

“ _God_ no. Champ is _absolutely_ in the past. I don’t think I’ve even talked to him in months, aside from the occasional traffic ticket.”

“Thank hell.” Nicole takes a bite of food, her voice a low mumble as she adds, “You deserve better.”

“I’ve…” Waverly swallows. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that…”

Nicole clears her throat. “You said you’re working on the Headless Rider Killings?”

Waverly pauses, the blunt dismissal a punch to her gut. “Yeah. Yeah, I am. Why?”

“You asked if I had a perspective on it, and I took some time to think. And I’m just wondering why you think whoever this is is responsible for your uncle’s death, and the injuries that happened to Wynonna? I mean, lots of people get stabbed, statistically, I would think, don’t they?”

“They do, sure, but the coincidences would be astounding. Wynonna didn’t see who cut her, it was too dark, but only minutes later she witnessed the rider kill Jonas Adamson. As for Curtis, nobody saw who killed him, but he died that same week, while on patrol looking for the rider, and his injuries were consistent with the others.”

Nicole frowns, studying her glass of wine as she spins it slowly between her fingers. “Huh. How many people exactly do you think this rider hurt or killed?”

“Just in Purgatory? Eighty-one.”

_“Eighty-one?”_

“The exact seven deaths each year, four dead cops including Curtis and my father, one dead civilian, and thirty-six injuries including Wynonna. It happened in Purgatory once in 2006, which you cannot repeat to anyone, because we’ve managed to keep it under the radar just how active this guy’s been.” Waverly leans forward and lowers her voice. “It’s not a _ghost_ , Nicole. No matter what people think. I saw this thing with my own two eyes. He might dress up and act scary, but he’s nothing more than a serial killer. I _know_ he’s killed in other towns. And I’m going to find him before he gets bored and leaves Purgatory.”

“You’re awfully confident that this is some mortal man killing for the joy of it,” Nicole says softly. “If all the violence you’ve attributed to this rider is true… I mean, hell, Waverly, I know I’m just a mechanic, but I just don’t see how any one human being could kill or maim that many people in as little time as you’re claiming.”

“I don’t, either,” Waverly admits. “I know it sounds crazy, but I just… it _can’t_ be a ghost, Nicole. I can’t catch a ghost. I can’t arrest a ghost. I can’t _stop_ a ghost. If I can’t fight what’s hurting my town, how am I supposed to protect them?”

She sighs and stands to refill her glass of wine. While her back is turned, Nicole says, “You aren’t crazy, Waverly.”

Waverly laughs softly and sets her glass and the wine bottle on the counter. “I’m in my kitchen telling my best friend that I refuse to believe in ghosts because it _isn’t convenient_. That sounds pretty crazy, Nic.”

Nicole’s voice is low, but firm. “You’re _not crazy_. And… And the rider _isn’t_ a ghost.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“Because it’s _me_ , Waverly.”

Waverly turns slowly. “That’s not funny, Nicole.”

Nicole is meeting her gaze, not confrontational, just soft and sad. “It’s not meant to be.”

“You’re trying to get me to believe that you-”

“It’s not eighty-one,” Nicole interrupts. “Not in Purgatory. And I’m no ghost. I’m cursed.”

Waverly sits down, trembling. “If you think this is some sort of funny Halloween prank, Nicole Haught, I swear to god I’ll kill you.”

Nicole swallows and leans forward, brushing her thumb against her bandage. “I really wish it was a prank. Believe me, Waverly, I _really_ wish it was. But it’s _not_. I’ve been cursed since 1996. I’ve been trying to deal with this my whole life.”

“Since 1996?” Waverly whispers. “That would be… You would’ve killed…”

“One hundred fifty-four,” Nicole replies. “I know all of their names. I know why the blade wanted each of them. I remember each and every one of them.” She scoffs and shakes her head. “It never gets easier, but I learned quick to keep that pain in a certain part of my heart. To hide it away. Because I’m not sure it’ll ever really stop.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I’ve always _wanted_ to tell you. I just never knew _how_. But when I realized you thought I killed your uncle, thought I hurt Wynonna, I had to…” Nicole shakes her head. “Waverly, I would never-”

“Shut up.”

“What?”

Waverly’s staring straight down, her hands tight in fists and her voice quaking like she’s close to crying. “I should arrest you right now. You know that?”

Nicole sighs and nods. “Yeah. You can do whatever you feel you need to do, Waverly. I won’t fight you. It can’t stop this curse, though. I’ve tried. I’ve locked myself in cellars, handcuffed myself, bolted myself into cages, I’ve done everything I can think of to keep the rider at bay. It always comes out, and it cannot be contained. I can’t control it. I just have to live with it.”

“And that’s just supposed to make it okay?”

“Of course not. _Of course not._ There’s nothing about this that’s okay. I just… I need you to know the truth.”

Waverly stands, still not looking at Nicole. “Get out.”

“Waverly…”

“Get out of my house.” Waverly hurries out of the room and up the steps, slamming her bedroom door before she can start to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will obviously be a lot more explanation of what exactly is going on/has gone on here.
> 
> Also: I cannot for the life of me remember whether Jonas has a canon surname, and he doesn't really deserve the effort of me figuring it out.


	4. Chapter 4

Waverly wakes to a pounding noise against her bedroom door, after sleep she doubted she’d have.

“Are you okay?” Wynonna’s voice calls through the door. “You never sleep in longer than me.”

She rolls out of bed, anxious, and pulls the door open. “Yeah. I’m fine. Sorry about the kitchen.”

Wynonna frowns, eyes narrow. “What happened to the kitchen? Jesus, baby girl, please tell me you and Haught didn’t-”

“No!” Waverly holds up her hands and closes her eyes. “No, no, no. I was talking about leaving the food and plates out all night.”

“You… didn’t?” Wynonna pushes her hand against Waverly’s forehead. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Fever? Heartbreak? I can go kick Haught’s ass if something happened?”

“I…” Waverly bites her lip and shakes her head. “That’s not necessary. We’re… fine.”

“Really? Because she left you a note downstairs.”

Wynonna hands the piece of paper to Waverly, who reads it slowly.

_Waverly-_

_I didn’t want you to have to clean when you woke up, but I promise I left as soon as I was done. I apologize if I overstepped. I’d like a chance to talk to you, but it’s your choice. You know where to find me if you want to._

_-Nicole_

Waverly swallows.

“Is there something you need to tell me?” Wynonna asks softly.

“Y… No. No; I just need to go talk to her. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.” Waverly turns away, still staring down at the note. “It’s _fine_.”

 

+++++

 

She sits in her car in front of the police station, staring at the door.

She stays there for what feels like hours, before cursing under her breath and driving away.

 

+++++

 

Music is blaring and Nicole is half under the hood of an SUV when Waverly walks into the mechanic’s shop. She practically punches the power button to get silence before saying, “If you were going to leave me a note, asshole, you could’ve left one that wasn’t _vague_.”

Nicole ducks and backs out from her work, turning to face her. “Huh?”

“How about some explanation for what the _hell_ is wrong with you?”

“I’d rather do that in person,” Nicole replies, her voice quiet. “And I didn’t want to be specific, in case Wynonna read it.”

Waverly puts her hands into her pockets. “Oh.”

“I wasn’t really sure I’d see you again, unless it was to arrest me.” Nicole cocks her head to one side. “Or is that why you’re here?”

Waverly sighs. “Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m here. I went to the station first. I was going to tell Nedley. But I couldn’t even bring myself to go inside.”

Nicole starts to reach out to touch Waverly’s shoulder, but lets her hand fall back down to her side before Waverly can even react. “Why don’t we go into my office? Just to talk. I promise I’m not going to do anything, Waverly. I would never hurt you.”

“You want to know the funny thing? Or I suppose maybe the stupid thing? Not once have I even considered that you’d hurt me.”

“Well,” Nicole murmurs, “at the very least, we still have that.”

 

+++++

 

Nicole sits behind her desk and waits until Waverly takes a seat across from her. “I don’t know where to start. What do you want to know?”

“I just… Can you please just explain this to me? I don’t understand how you… how _you_ could possibly do this.”

“I don’t want to,” Nicole whispers. “I know it’s hardly a consolation, but I need you to know that.”

“Then _why_?”

Nicole is quiet for a moment, twirling a pen between her fingers. “My parents were… _strange_ people. To this day I don’t truly understand what they did for a living. And in all honesty, I’m not sure I really want to know. When I was six, they dragged me to Greece with them. They weren’t sight-seeing, it wasn’t a vacation or anything. They spent all their time going to museums after-hours and talking with people about stuff that couldn’t be less interesting to me. They also couldn’t give enough fucks about me to pay attention to where I was, so during all of these conversations I would wander around. And I was _six_ , but… I don’t know. I didn’t have anything else to do, you know?

“One of the nights, one of the museums, I kept hearing this voice. It was talking to me, soothing me, telling me that I had been wronged by those who should be protecting me, and I _followed_ it. I barely understood what it was talking about, but it led me to some sort of storage room that either was never locked or opened because the voice wanted it to. The kopis was sitting there. Out on a table. I’m not sure if they had been working on it, or if my parents had been looking at it earlier, or why they would have left it there. But there it was.

“The voice told me to pick it up. Encouraged me. Asked me if I wanted to feel less scared, alone in those dark halls every night. And I _did_ , so I _picked it up_. And god, Waverly, god do I wish I hadn’t. That was October 25, 1996, and I’ve been in a living nightmare ever since.”

“What does it… do?” Waverly swallows and shrugs. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t really… I don’t know how to ask, what to ask.”

“Each of those days in October, the 25-31, I just sort of… lose control at a certain point. My body starts to heat up, my vision blurs, and I can’t get rid of the stupid sword even if I were to throw it off a cliff. Once that starts, it’s just a matter of time before I lose all command of my own body, and that’s when the switch happens. I’ve never seen how. It’s just darkness and fog and fire, and then _that_. I’m conscious, I can see what’s happening, but I can’t stop it.”

Waverly leans back in her chair. “Can I… How do you _know_ you didn’t kill Curtis or my father or hurt Wynonna? I mean, you say you’re conscious, but maybe the rider does have some blackouts of full control.”

Nicole’s jaw tightens, and she shakes her head. She holds out her hand, and Waverly jumps as a kopis suddenly appears in Nicole’s palm, in a puff of thick fog. “The lettering on this. I know you saw it, when you saw me in that alley in 2012. Did you ever look it up?”

“Yes. It took some time to remember it, but I did the research. _Πραξιδίκη_. _Praxidike_. Greek goddess of judicial punishment.”

“And an exactor of vengeance,” Nicole says. “This blade cannot harm anyone with a just soul. It seeks out seven souls each year, seven people near wherever I’m living who have escaped punishment for a horrible crime. Waverly, you could try to cut your hand on this sword. It can’t hurt you.”

Waverly reaches her hand out cautiously, glancing up at Nicole before running her palm against the blade. Her eyes widen and she jerks her hand back, staring down at the lack of injury. “That’s… not possible.”

“I gave up on possible years ago. It’s okay to take some time with it.” The kopis vanishes from Nicole’s hand and she leans back in her chair. “Waverly… I did not hurt Curtis or Wynonna. As you just demonstrated, I _couldn’t_. But… I _did_ kill Ward Earp.”

There’s silence in the room, heavy and uncomfortable. “What did you just say?” Waverly whispers.

“The blade wanted him, Waverly. I’m sorry.”

Waverly pushes away from the desk and stands, beginning to pace in front of the desk. “Why? Why the _hell_ would it want my father?”

“I-I’m not really sure you want to-”

“ _Why_ , Nicole?”

Nicole hesitates, only a moment longer. “He killed your sister, Waverly.”

She thuds back down into her chair. _“What?”_

“Willa. She died when she was alone with your father, and the claim was that one of the Revenants did it because Ward was investigating them. Right?”

“… Right.”

“The… The thing is, your father had a deal with the Revenants, Waverly. I don’t know all of the specifics, I never get quite _that_ much information when the blade gives me the ‘whys’. But he made a deal, and he broke it, and they wanted revenge. They shot at him, and he killed your sister so he had an excuse to go after them, and a distraction so nobody questioned why the Revenants would want him. The whole thing got swept under the rug.”

Waverly rubs her temples and rests her head in her hands. “This is too much information in two days. I don’t even… I don’t even know how to react to all of this.”

“You don’t have to know,” Nicole says softly. “I’m just glad you were willing to listen.”


	5. Chapter 5

“I was kind of hoping we weren’t going to do this,” Nicole jokes, her voice strained as Waverly steps out of the police cruiser sitting in the middle of the shop floor.

Waverly rolls her eyes. “I already told you, Nicole. I’m still not sure how I feel about things, but if it does come down to that, I’m going to come to you as _Waverly_ , not _Officer Earp_. Okay?” When Nicole nods, she gestures at her cruiser. “Some dumbasses were fighting outside the bar, and I ended up with glass in my tires.”

“Ouch.” Nicole walks over and crouches down next to one wheel, tapping her knuckle against it. “That’s a pain in the ass. I can get you fixed up, though. I keep a stock of the tires the department uses.”

“Sucking up?” Waverly asks, wincing when she sees Nicole tense. “I didn’t mean-”

“I know what you meant,” Nicole says softly. “But I’m not. I just want you to be safe. Believe me, Waverly, I know far better than most what kind of evils are in the world.”

“These past few days, I’ve been thinking… did you…” Waverly swallows. “I don’t want you to be offended when I ask this, but…”

“I didn’t befriend you and Wynonna because you were cops. If that’s what you’re worried about. I didn’t even know that’s what you did until a while after we met.” Nicole gives a dry chuckle and wanders around to check on another tire. “If anything, knowing that made me consider walking away and avoiding the two of you, but I just couldn’t. I liked you both too much.” Her voice softens as she adds, almost as an afterthought, “ _Really_ liked _you_.”

“Yeah,” Waverly murmurs. She leans against her cruiser. “I… I’m not really sure how to do this. How to be a _cop_ , but also know that people are going to die. That there’s nothing I can do to prevent it. That I know _who_ is killing them, but I’m supposed to… that I can’t _do_ anything. I’ve spent _years_ of my life wanting to hunt down the rider. Only to have that just.” She waves her hand dismissively. “Gone. Deflated. Because how the hell am I supposed to keep holding that anger against my best friend?”

“You’re allowed to be angry at me. I would never try to force you not to be.”

Waverly laughs softly. “I _want_ to be. Even if just for a little while. I just _can’t_.”

Nicole stands and leans against the cruiser looking across it at Waverly. “I’m glad you’re here. Even though I swear I never, ever wanted this for you, Waverly.”

“I know you didn’t. If I believe anything, I believe that. I think that’s why I…” Waverly looks over her shoulder, a small smile on her face. “Why I still trust you so much.”

 

+++++

 

“I want to show you something,” Waverly says, leading Nicole into her bedroom.

“You realize what Wynonna’s going to say if she sees me in here, right?”

Waverly smacks her shoulder. “Shut up. Besides, she needs the entertainment.”

“I wish I could help her get back on the force. The deaths might be justified enough, but the witness trauma is… I truly wish I could prevent that.”

“About that. I do have an idea how you could help.”

“Oh?”

Waverly opens her closet, revealing her evidence board.

Nicole whistles softly. “Wow. Uh. Okay then.” She puts her hands into her pockets. “Would it be inappropriate to call you a stalker?”

Waverly gives her a look.

“Right. Figured.”

“I have the list of victims here, at least the ones I had attributed to the rider.” Waverly taps her finger against a piece of paper. “Do you think you’d recognize the correct ones?”

“I believe I mentioned it already, but I really do remember every name, Waverly. I can’t forget them. I _refuse_ to.” Nicole picks a highlighter up from Waverly’s desk and squints at the list. In only a few seconds, she highlights a selection of names. “Those are all of the ones the blade wanted.”

“Do you…” Waverly bites her lip and shakes her head. “No. I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that question.”

“You can ask me anything.”

“Do you really remember why _every_ one of them was sentenced?”

Nicole nods. “Pick a name.”

Waverly glances at the highlighted names. “Lynette Dodson.”

“Beat a babysitter to death because her husband was flirting at the kid. Framed her teenage son for it, and the boy killed himself instead of turning on his mother.”

“Jesus,” Waverly whispers. “What about Kimberly Zhu?”

“Poisoned rival athletes to make them sick and either forfeit matches or lose due to playing poorly, poison ended up killing one of them, got off because nobody could prove it in the toxicology.”

“And… Jonas?”

Nicole sighs and takes a step back. “You’re sure? I know he was around Wynonna a lot. It might just scare you _too_ much.”

“I can take it.”

“He… raped and murdered three women in Oklahoma. The States thought he went south to Mexico, and by the time he got up here he had changed his name and disappeared.”

Waverly sits down in her desk chair. “I think I’m going to need _years_ to absorb everything you’ve told me. This really might be too much.”

“In fairness, I did warn you.” Nicole crouches down in front of her. “What can I do, Waverly? How can I help?”

“The rider’s time will start in just a few days, right?”

“It’s the twenty-second, so yeah. Not long now.”

“I want to try to catch whoever is killing innocents around you.”

Nicole raises an eyebrow. “How do you plan to do that?”

Waverly shifts forward and sets her hands on Nicole’s shoulders. “We can do it if we work together. I _know_ we can. You’re aware of it, so you can pay attention outside of your required death while you’re around. And maybe you can tell me who the blade wants? Even if I can’t stop it, maybe if I’m in that area I can at least prevent whoever this is from killing someone _else_.”

“Do you think that will work?”

“I have no idea. But we have seven days to work with, and we have to at least _try_ , don’t we? You said you didn’t kill Uncle Curtis or hurt Wynonna, or do a whole bunch of the other bad shit that’s gone on. That means that someone else _did_. Someone _else_ hurt my family a _lot_. I want to find them, Nicole.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Nicole gives her a shy, crooked grin and holds out her hand. “So. Partners?”

Waverly laughs and shakes her hand. “Partners.”


	6. Chapter 6

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Nicole asks, watching Waverly button her uniform over her bulletproof vest before checking her handgun.

“I’m sure. And you’re okay with me coming?”

“Of course.” Nicole hesitates briefly before setting her hand on Waverly’s shoulder. “I won’t hurt you, Waverly. I swear I won’t.”

“I know you won’t. I _know_ you won’t.”

Nicole puts her hands in her pockets and leans against Waverly’s bedroom door. “Why?”

Waverly blinks. “What?”

“I’ve told you so much already. Admitted to so much that I know has hurt you. How can you forgive me for that? How can how _handle_ all of this?”

“Believe me, I’ve spent several nights trying to process it. I’ve been angry. I’ve been upset. I _sobbed_. But… I decided that you don’t _need_ to be forgiven.”

Nicole frowns. “I don’t understand.”

“That sword. Whatever it is. Whatever gives it power. It _preyed_ on you, Nicole, when you were just a _child_. It used the neglect your parents put you through to justify forcing its burden on you.” Waverly rests her hand on Nicole’s cheek and brushes her thumb just under her eye. “Your hands have killed, Nicole, but your _heart_ hasn’t. In the end, that’s what’s most important.”

 

+++++

 

They wait in the mechanic shop, Waverly’s cruiser tucked inside and Nicole pacing in front of it.

“You’re making me nervous,” Waverly murmurs.

“I’m sorry. I’ve just never done this before.”

Waverly gives a soft chuckle. “Well, I would imagine not. I doubt there’s been a lot of opportunity for stakeouts before.”

“That, and I’ve never let anyone see me like this before. Never even _told_ anyone before.”

“No one?”

“Not a one.”

“What makes me so special?”

Nicole’s eyes are soft as she pauses her pacing. “A lot.”

“Yeah?” Waverly takes a small step closer. “Like what?”

“Well…” Nicole freezes and steps back, her whole body tensing. “Oh, no.”

“Nicole?”

The kopis forms in Nicole’s grip, and she doubles over, her free hand clenching her stomach. Fog begins to circle around her feet, and her eyes flicker from brown to a red fire. Waverly watches as the fog creeps up Nicole’s body, changing her slowly.

Nicole looks up at her before it reaches her head. “Jim Miller.”

“What?”

“Jim Miller. 102 Gein Street.” Nicole takes in a sharp gasp and collapses at the same moment the fog takes her over, and Waverly backs away as the rider stands in her place.

“Whoa,” Waverly whispers. “Okay.”

The rider points her sword at Waverly for a brief moment before lowering it and sliding it into the sheath on her belt.

Hoofbeats.

She can hear _hoofbeats_.

The rider’s horse appears in flames, and Waverly remembers the mission in a flash of sudden clarity.

Her cruiser.

The address.

The victim.

She has to get to Jim Miller’s place of future demise.

_Now._

 

+++++

 

The rider slices her blade through Jim Miller’s neck on the sidewalk outside his apartment.

Death as payment for more killing than the rider has ever before taken a soul for.

She taps her kopis against the dead man’s chest, barely listening to the sounds around her, but _one_ cuts through.

_“Police! Stop! Purgatory Sheriff’s Department! I said stop!”_

The rider turns her head, mildly curious, as a man, standing over another’s bloody form, stares at a police officer with her gun drawn.

Two other men, unnoticed, advance on the cop from behind.

Mindless instinct frowns as the silenced conscious inside _panics_.

_Go._

_Help._

The rider tilts her head, looking at the men behind the cop. They are not her kill. They are not who the blade wants. She has no business with them.

But the cop does _feel_ familiar.

So the rider’s eyes burn brighter, and she reads the souls in front of her.

Two: just. One: unclear. Two: _not_.

The rider walks forward, drawing the attention of all parties present.

“Wait a minute,” one of the men behind the cop says. “Bobo, you said that thing wouldn’t come near us.”

The man being held by the cop shrugs. “Technically, I said it wouldn’t come near _me_.”

The rider ignores the words, raising the kopis and striking both of the men standing behind the officer.

One swing.

Two decapitations.

The officer stares at her, mouth agape.

The rider just turns, hops up onto her horse, and disappears into the fog.


	7. Chapter 7

Nicole wakes up on the floor of her shop at four o’clock in the morning. “You really need to figure out what a bed is, asshole,” she whispers into the darkness, reaching behind her head to rub the back of her neck.

“Yeah, if you had told me we’d end up back here, I would’ve at least brought a pillow.”

Nicole turns her head, startled. “Waverly. Hey. Hi.”

Waverly is lying next to her on a blanket, staring up at the ceiling. “You came back here and passed out. Or, the rider came back here? And then it changed back into you, and you just sort of passed out. For a minute, I was worried you were dead. Which, now I think of it, was pretty stupid of me. You’ve been doing this for years.”

“Regardless. I’m sorry I worried you.”

“Do you remember what happened?”

Nicole nods. “I… killed. More than I was supposed to. I… I swear to god, Waverly, I’ve never done that before. I _swear_. I don’t know what happened. I saw them heading for you, and I just wanted to scream at you, wanted to warn you, wanted to _help_ you. And the rider just… could see their souls? Could see that they didn’t have just souls? And the next thing I knew, they were both dead.”

Waverly reaches between them and links their hands. “I would have preferred to arrest them,” she murmurs, “but you, the rider, both, _whatever_ , saved my life, Nicole. Those men had multiple knives and guns on them, as did the man still alive, the one I took to jail for attacking the one on the ground. God knows what could have happened.”

“I would never want anything to happen to you, Waverly.” Nicole swallows. “I don’t think I could bear it.”

“That goes in reverse too, you know that, right? I don’t care about some spooky fog that takes you over on Halloween. It doesn’t… It’ll never change how I feel about you, Nic. How I’ve _always_ felt.”

Nicole snorts out a quiet laugh. “You can still say that after tonight? After watching me kill three people?”

_“Yes,_ Nicole. Yes. Because if anything, it proved to me that there really are people out there who are taking advantage of what’s happening to you so that they can kill indiscriminately. Bobo has already confessed to killing Curtis, and he said he would make a deal to rat out the other Revenants who stabbed Wynonna and killed or injured the other innocents that the rider didn’t attack. I believed you, but this _proved_ it.”

Nicole bites her lip. “Is it… never mind.”

“No, it’s okay. Tell me.”

“I guess I’m just still not sure how he _knows_. Y’know? How did he know exactly where I’d be tonight and that he’d be able to find somebody he could kill nearby? And if I’m remembering correctly, the other guys with him were surprised that I even went near them.”

“Hm. I’m not sure.” Waverly glances at Nicole out of the corner of her eye. “I suppose we could always… try to work together? To figure it out?”

Nicole grins. “Partners?”

“Partners.”

 

+++++

 

**SEVEN MONTHS LATER**

 

“Did you hear a door?” Nicole asks breathlessly, turning her head as Waverly tries to unbutton her coveralls.

“Don’t care. You’re on break. I’m off today. They can come back later.”

Waverly’s mouth trails to Nicole’s throat, and Nicole takes a moment to groan before setting her finger against Waverly’s lips and gently pushing her back. “I’m serious, Waves.”

“Somebody better be dying,” Waverly mutters.

“In this town? Probably shouldn’t joke about that.”

A loud knock hits against Nicole’s office door. “Hey. Waverly. You in there?”

Waverly rolls her eyes. “Go away, Wynonna!”

“Nah. Put your clothes on and come out here.”

“I’m _wearing_ clothes, you _asshole_.”

“Not for lack of trying,” Nicole mumbles as they stand.

Waverly playfully smacks her arm before opening the door.

Wynonna’s standing in the doorway, looking uneasy, fidgeting with the collar of her police uniform. “Hey, guys. Haught, put your shirt on.”

Nicole snorts. “I have two buttons undone and you can see my t-shirt. Grow up.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Wynonna pulls at her collar again. “Look, Waverly, I know this is your day off, but I think you’re going to need to come in. I think you’ll _want_ to come in.”

“What? Why?”

“We got a call from the prison. Bobo Del Ray is gone.”

Waverly tenses. “What do you mean by gone?”

“Guards walked past his cell once and saw him, walked past again fifteen minutes later and he wasn’t there. Door was never opened and there wasn’t so much as a crack in the concrete walls. Whole things a goddamn ghost story.”

Nicole pulls Waverly closer, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. She keeps her voice low, so Wynonna can’t hear her, and whispers, “Or maybe it’s a curse story.”


End file.
